Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on BIDU. Zacks Research lowered Baidu from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Baidu in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Baidu from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Baidu from $147.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Nomura reduced their price target on shares of Baidu from $196.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Baidu presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.05.

Baidu Price Performance

Shares of Baidu stock opened at $110.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. Baidu has a 1-year low of $74.71 and a 1-year high of $165.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $129.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.64. The company has a market capitalization of $37.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.79 and a beta of 0.44.

Institutional Trading of Baidu

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Baidu by 65.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc acquired a new position in Baidu in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in Baidu in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Baidu by 12,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 375 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in Baidu by 35.0% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 405 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter.

Baidu Company Profile

Baidu, Inc, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Beijing, is a Chinese multinational technology company best known for operating one of China’s leading internet search engines. The company built its business around online search and related advertising services, providing search, content aggregation and targeted ad placements to consumers and marketers across China. Baidu went public on the NASDAQ in 2005 and has since diversified beyond search into a broader technology and AI-focused portfolio.

Core products and services include the Baidu search platform and mobile app, Baidu Maps and Baidu Baike (an online encyclopedia), along with digital content initiatives.